Breast cancer is the most common among all cancers in India and worldwide. In India, close to 50 per cent of the cases are diagnosed in advanced stages of the disease.
Detection of breast cancer in the early stages can ensure a cure-rate of 95 per cent-99 per cent. With recent advances, it is even possible to conserve the breast, if detected early.
For self-breast examination, it is advisable that all women of ages 21 and over to make it a habit to examine their breasts by themselves, once a month, preferably on the 3rd or 4th day, after completion of their periods. Women who have attained menopause can select a day and repeat the exercise on the same day every month.
It is important to ‘Look’ and ‘Feel’. Face a mirror, and ‘Look’ at your breasts. Look at what level they are the level of nipple, appearance of the skin of your breasts, nipple, areola, with your arms straight down, raised up, and arms held at the waist.
The next step is to ‘Feel’. Examine the breast with the opposite hand and the other hand raised up. Begin feeling your breast with the pads of the index, middle and ring fingers, rubbing them against chest wall. Start from the nipple and go around the breast, inch by inch, all the way up to the collarbone, to below the breast, medially, all the way up to the central chest bone, and outward, all the way into your armpits. Similarly, repeat on other side. This will only take 5 minutes. In the event of any changes such as a lump in the breast, underarm or neck, skin thickening, skin puckering, ulcer, ulcer in the nipple, nipple discharge or orange-peel appearance, you must report to a breast surgeon, to rule out cancer.
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